Helen McEntee

I am responding to different questions. First, we all know there were drones. For anybody suggesting otherwise, we know that was the case. I repeat that at no stage did they compromise the security operation that was in place for President Zelenskyy's visit. I will say that we are taking this matter extremely seriously. That is why there is a review under way. That is why the Garda is conducting a…

We all agree the world we are living in now is changing and the types of threats we are facing are changing. We are no longer just thinking about warfare in terms of land incursions and what we are seeing, whether it is in Ukraine or elsewhere in the world. Hybrid threats are happening on a daily basis that are impacting people's day-to-day lives and businesses. Perhaps, there are also more sinist…

As this is my first time answering a question on this matter as Minister for Defence, I want to take this opportunity to say that the health and well-being of the men and women of Oglaigh na hÉireann is of the utmost importance. In fact, it is paramount and front and centre in everything we do, as it is to the Chief of Staff and Secretary General. I am very clear in my view as Minister that those…

I appreciate that we might not be on our own and similar issues have arisen in other jurisdictions. It is about going through the appropriate process and making sure that we are responding in the most appropriate way. These matters are currently the subject of active and ongoing litigation, as I have mentioned. The HSA has conducted several inspections in Baldonnel Aerodrome and there is more deta…

I will treat this with the utmost seriousness. I am working closely with my officials. It is also important to stress these are cases of alleged past exposure to toxic chemicals. I want to be clear that we are talking about issues that may have happened in the past and to reassure people in that regard. In terms of the HSA and the inspection that took place, it advised in a subsequent report in 20…

I understand from the military authorities that the strength of the Naval Service, as of 31 October 2025, the latest date for which this information is available, stood at 784 personnel out of an establishment of 1,094. While I appreciate that it is not at the establishment figure, this compares favourably to a total strength of 719 at the end of last year. The figures did not decrease last year a…

I appreciate that maybe the numbers look small, but this year we had the highest number of direct entry recruitments for specialists in the Naval Service since 2019. While the numbers are smaller, obviously, we are moving in the right direction. There were four direct entries to the Naval Service for electrical engineers, one direct entrant for marine engineering and two direct entries as operatio…

There are quite a number of different competitions, recruitments and initiatives ongoing, including those specifically for women. They are not necessarily specific to the Naval Service, but it is important that we support and work with the Defence Forces in making sure they are reaching out, whether in our schools or in different industries or sectors, specifically to ensure that we have those spe…

We have been absolutely committed to the UNIFIL mission for many years. Like, I think, many people, we would prefer not to see it come to an end towards the end of next year. Obviously, we will ensure that our troops who are there are able to carry out those missions. I hope we can look beyond 2026 and still have a presence on the ground because it is still very much needed. I had an opportunity y…

In relation to the final question, not every incident is necessarily relayed or the subject of a complaint made in terms of overall complaints to UNIFIL and the Israel Defense Forces concerning military fire, whether on Irish personnel or otherwise. This information is not ordinarily provided by the UN. There are situations and scenarios where we have made complaints and have raised this. Again, t…

I reiterate that this is a changing environment. It is most certainly a challenging environment, in particular the ongoing situation with Hezbollah in the south of Lebanon. The Lebanese Government is grappling with and trying to respond to this. The decision has been taken to end UNIFIL. We need to ensure that while our troops are there, they are still engaged in the mission they are committed to…

I thank the Deputy. As of 31 October 2025, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,760 personnel, consisting of 6,237 Army, 739 Air Corps and 784 Naval Service personnel, as well as over 400 civilian members. On foot of the recommendations from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, the Government approved a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Permanent Defence…

We all agree that more needs to be done and I do not think the Government is saying anything to the contrary. It is clear that there continues to be a very strong interest in a career in the Defence Forces with further growth this year. Let us look at the figures. A total of 14,879 applications have been received this year, up to the end of October. The most important thing that I need to focus on…

While the measures have not changed, what has changed is that the numbers are increasing. I appreciate that might not be at the rate or in the numbers we all want, but numbers have now stabilised and are moving in the right direction. My intention and ambition are to work directly with the Defence Forces to ensure they have the right structure and the capacity and ability to increase the number of…

As I outlined in an earlier response, a widely reported incident occurred on Monday, 1 December, regarding drones operating in the vicinity of a Naval Service vessel in the Irish Sea. Notwithstanding some suggestions, at no stage was the flight of President Zelenskyy compromised and the security operation led by An Garda Síochána was successfully deployed through multiple means, ultimately leading…

On the overall response, at all times the Naval Service vessel the Deputy referred to operated within the standing operating procedures, the different rules of engagement and the law of the sea. They could have exercised the right to self-defence if that was what they decided was necessary or needed. These are all of the scenarios and decisions that have been taken that are under review. That is b…

We currently have our own drone capacities but they are generally used for surveillance, not trying to counter. There is work under way at the moment to develop a further or future strategy on the acquisition of different types of drones that could be used. That is at an early stage and is being developed. In terms of our subsea capabilities, as part of the NDP plan I mentioned last week, which wa…

While I appreciate that more progress needs to be made, the Deputy is aware that there has been significant progress overall in terms of pay and conditions for Defence Forces personnel, particularly over the past six years. A school-leaver cadet, on commissioning, was paid €30,884 in January 2019. As of 1 August 2025 a school-leaver cadet, on commissioning to second lieutenant is paid €45,795, whi…

Yes, I intend to meet them in the new year and really look forward to meeting them. I also had an opportunity to meet and speak with cadets who were quite literally mid-training when I was in the Curragh last week. There were some who had completely changed their career paths because they were passionate about joining the Defence Forces. There were others whose siblings had been members as well a…

As recognised in the Report on the Commission on the Defence Forces and accepted by the Government, the Defence Forces need to be capable of delivering military effects across the cyber domain. To this end, my Department published the high-level action plan for the report, which included recommendations relating to the Defence Forces' cyberdefence functions. As a result, the Defence Forces have es…

Relating to cybersecurity, the primary role of the Defence Forces is to defend and secure their networks and systems. The role of the Garda is to do the same and to look at other areas as well. Specifically in relation to the joint cybersecurity command, there are three key pillars to it: the joint command centre, which is receiving investment and is being developed; the strategy itself; and the …

I agree with the Deputy that the changing nature of threats is clearly moving towards hybrid threats in a way that we have never dealt with before. I know from a previous role that the Garda has been investing significantly in its capabilities, capacity and workforce. That is why we are doing what we are doing here with the Defence Forces. There is an emergency group that I chair when it relates t…

The Commission on the Defence Forces report recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland. It covered high-level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding. One of the recommendations in the report was the creation of a new enlisted rank of lance corporal in the Army and…

On the evaluation of the Commission on the Defence Forces recommendations, a number of factors have to be taken into consideration before a decision can be made. These include military management advice on the introduction of the rank, the potential benefits to individual personnel, the future role of personnel at this new rank, the impact on career progression for personnel, the impact of increas…

In recommending it, the commission was of the view that the creation of the rank of lance corporal would allow earlier rank progression for enlisted personnel with leadership potential and that it would offer unit commanders and senior NCOs the opportunity to assess the leadership ability of junior personnel before further advancement. The rank would also be useful for specialist trades, allowing …